Internationalization in VET: an overview

Internationalization is a powerful force that influences the orientation, operation and development of all education sectors around the world. Recent reforms in the vocational education and training (VET) sector have been associated with the internationalization trend and aligned with the neoliberal ideology, globalization, changing global and national labour markets and demands of the knowledge economy. Even though internationalization is manifested in various dimensions of the vocational education and training system in both developed and developing countries, it is an often-neglected phenomenon in the existing VET and internationalization literature. This chapter addresses the emerging ideological orientations, trends, tensions and opportunities for internationalization in different VET systems. The chapter also points out that as an emerging field of research, international VET should be recognized as an interdisciplinary scholarship that represents both the potential and the challenge for contemporary VET policy and practices.